Prince Andrew, center, walks across stepping stones in the Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul escorted by then Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak in 2005 when the prince visited Korea. The restoration of Cheonggyecheon Pristine Stream is a manmade marvel. Mayor Lee has done wonders in the face of a sea of adversities. The restoration is regarded as an exemplary case of urban river development. / Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon

By Alan Biggs
Contributing writer

Cheonggyecheon (literally meaning “Clean Stream”) runs broadly from west to east and is a tributary of Seoul’s Han River. It runs from the Mugyo-dong intersection and, after being fed by some 14 small brooks, joins the Jungnangcheon stream at the Olympic Stadium before they both discharge into the Han River. Only recently has the stream flowed through the middle of Seoul; these days it is hard to believe that just a few decades ago the capital city had practically no presence south of the river. Before this time Cheonggyecheon was the center of gravity of Seoul, and the main water course of the city’s central area.

During Korea’s monsoon season there is more than enough water to fill the stream, but during the fall and winter it is dry. The spring snowmelt provides a minimal flow. At different times it has also been called Gaecheon (Digging-out Stream) and later Takgyecheon (Dirty Water Stream), a progression that speaks to the environmental hazards of over-population.

Six centuries ago (in the early stages of the Joseon Dynasty, 1392-1910) you would have seen ­ nothing extraordinary. The site was visited in 1394 by a monk who came upon an area surrounded by low mountains with a stream running down the middle, from west to east. As the pung-su (geomancy) was favorable he persuaded King Taejo establish the capital, named Hanyang, there. The stream, of course, was the Cheonggyecheon.

One hundred twenty years ago (toward the end of the Joseon Dynasty) you would have seen some 80 bridges crossing the Cheonggyecheon. Traditionally the stream was the boundary between the affluent areas of northern Seoul and the poorer southern part.

Efforts were made to cleanse and upgrade the stream. For example, in 1760 some 200,000 people were mobilized for 57 days to widen and straighten it, and build stone embankments on both banks. Thereafter, dredging was carried out regularly.

The stream served as a utility and was used as a sewer, a laundry and a children’s playground, and was a central part of community activities where festivals and other meetings would take place.

Sixty years ago, following independence from Japanese forcible occupation (1945) and the Korean War (1950-53), you would have seen a filthy stream that beggared description, lined with shacks built of bamboo poles, crushed tin containers and cardboard. Annual flooding caused endless misery

Mire, disease and poverty ruled; it was a home for the homeless, a den for the destitute, an open sewer and a breeding ground for crime. People didn’t live there because they wanted to ­ they had little choice as they were largely refugees from the North or others who had lost everything in the war.

Thirty 30 years ago you would have seen one very wide (5.8 km) ‘bridge’ covering the stream, lined with the small shops and stalls of petty traders, and with the Cheonggye Road running down the middle. One long six-lane elevated highway, then called Samil Elevated Expressway until the restoration of Cheonggyecheon in 2005, ran above the stream to Majang Dong. The place was the quintessential asphalt jungle immersed in a miasma of vehicle fumes; a noisy, smelly, crowded place, but a transportation artery and somewhere for the poor to earn a living.

Today the restored stream is 5.8 kilometers long and has 22 bridges crossing it. The area may be thought of as a 400-hectare (1,000-acre) park with access roads running on both sides. The place is so quiet you can hear birdsong and the chuckle of the stream coursing over stones, and in summer it is noticeably cooler and breezier than the surrounding area. The population of Seoul is over 10 million and it has a density of 17,000 people per square km, one of the highest in the world. The restoration effort has gone a long way to making the lives of these people tolerable.

The project cost $360 million and took two years to complete. Some 120 million tons of water are pumped daily into the western end of the stream, except during the monsoon season when the runoff from natural rainfall suffices and flows naturally through the stream and into the Han River near the Olympic Park.

Loss of the Samil Elevated Expressway

Full-scale construction of the Samil Elevated Expressway started in 1967 and was completed in 1976 under the Park Chung-hee administration (1961-1979). A major problem seized upon by critics of the scheme was the loss of the transportation capacity provided by this expressway that eventually ran from the first Namsan Tunnel to Majang Dong, a length of 5.9 km. Over 100,000 vehicles used the expressway daily while around 60,000 ran on the Cheonggye road beneath it. What would be the effect on the traffic patterns from central to eastern Seoul brought about by the removal of this capacity? How could this loss be mitigated?

There is a weird and counterintuitive theory known as the Braess Paradox. It states that the removal of road capacity in an urban area can actually increase traffic flow as travelers will quickly find alternate routes. In the event, Braess, a Dutchman, was proved right as the dreaded traffic disaster just did not happen.

The Seoul government had carefully thought the problem through and prepared the citizens in advance for the anticipated difficulties. With nearly 2.8 million automobiles in the city at that time, the capital’s traffic was often a nightmare. Expanding the city's impressive subway system wasn't a viable option; adding a kilometer of subway track can cost $100 million. So officials turned to the city's obsolescent bus system, and formulated a plan to rationalize and expand routes, add 74 km of rapid bus-only lanes on arterial streets, synchronize schedules with the subway and improve overall service. The government implemented theses changes overnight on July 1, 2004.

Loss of livelihoods

A more intractable problem was the potential deprivation of the livelihoods of thousands of petty vendors who earned their daily bread (or rice) along the Cheonggye Road and would need to be relocated.

A city landmark since the late 1950s, the original market was formed when secondhand dealers flocked to the stream during the early stages of postwar rebuilding. The used-goods market flourished, especially after 1973, when the stream was paved over.

Prior to the start of restoration work in mid-2003, the Cheonggyecheon flea market stretched over nearly nine blocks with vendors selling antiques, used electronics items of doubtful provenance, clothing, canned foods and black-market U.S. military goods. Many thought that the old flea market had a very special and attractive ambience that was conducive to good business. Things were certainly cheap and many a cash-strapped foreigner picked up time-expired U.S. Army rations (perfectly edible) at around 1,000 won a throw ­ two a day would more than keep body and soul together - not bad, not bad at all.

The vendors were strongly against being moved but in November 2003 squadrons of riot police and construction company employees drove out the last stalwart street merchants who were strongly (and occasionally violently) resisting the move. Those who didn’t give up their businesses were relocated into Dongdaemun Stadium, where a flea market was opened on January 16, 2004. Three years later they were yet again moved on, this time to the grounds of a former middle school in Sinseol-dong, eastern Seoul, and near to the Chonggye stream.

One cannot but feel sorry for these vendors, but it is a truism that you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. Let’s hope that they won’t have to relocate again, and that the massive and indisputable improvement of the area will contribute to their prosperity.

Environment

The very process of the reconstruction was environmentally friendly. Of the 620,000 tons of demolition products produced by the Samil Expressway, 95 percent of the concrete and asphalt, and 100 percent of the steel were recycled. Constant water spraying of the site kept the dust down and effective steps were taken to mitigate the noise of construction. A great environmental benefit of the project was the introduction of new, clean-emission buses, with positive effects for not just the immediate area but all of Seoul.

On the instruction of then Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, Professor Hwang Kee-yeon led the restoration feasibility study in the late 1990s, and was the principal author of the master plan. According to Hwang, “[In 2006] surface temperatures in summer along the restored river were an average 3.6 degrees Centigrade lower than places 400 meters away. The river is now a natural air conditioner, cooling the capital during its long hot summers. Average wind speeds in June were 50 percent higher than the same period last year. It was extraordinary. Also, many birds came back, plus fish, insects and plants. The variety of wildlife has vastly increased since we tore up the road." Cheonggyecheon is now a haven for wildlife where children can learn something about nature while they play.

The stream had been the heart of the city, and archeologists, as it was uncovered archaeologists, up against a strict deadline, worked feverishly to catalog and preserve long-forgotten artifacts. The haul included a centuries-old stone bridge, ancient coins, Joseon-period shoes and pottery; you can see many of these treasures in the Cheonggyecheon Museum, located in Majang Dong and well worth a visit.

It must be said that the stream is not entirely green. Rainfall input to the stream is seasonal and depends on the monsoon. Therefore, for most of the year water must be pumped to the western head of the stream from the nearby Han River, finally returning to the Han. Initially there was also a certain lack of thought

about the elderly and those with mobility problems. After a protest march, action was taken by providing those in need with wheelchairs and through the installation of seven elevators along the stream.

Another major environmental benefit is that the success of the project has quickened the pace of ‘green’ reconstruction throughout the capital and beyond.

Since its public opening in October 2005, Cheonggyecheon has been popular with residents and visitors. It may be considered as part of the ‘Hard City to Soft City’ train of thought that has changed Seoul’s persona, and has become a magnet for tourists, with over six million visitors annually. Traffic has improved and the environmental change is the object of envy in other great cities of the world. The area has attracted a huge amount of development capital, and both business and property values are up.

There can be no denying that the project is an astounding success and that former Mayor Lee Myung-bak and now president, and all Koreans, have much reason for pride.

The restoration of Cheonggyecheon Pristine Stream is a man-made marvel. Mayor Lee has done marvels in the face of a sea of adversities. The restoration is regarded as one of the exemplary cases of urban river development. The restored stream contributes much to cooling down ever-increasing urban air temperature and cleaning waters flowing through the Han River, a primary water resource for Seoul citizens. The smooth settlement of bargaining with tens of thousands of owners of small shops clustered along the stream is seen as a success story of tortuous negotiations between the government and recalcitrant merchants. The government’s knowhow in solving disputes with interest groups has been sold overseas

Other waterway development

Many other waterway projects are planned or underway throughout the world. Some of the activities in Seoul are:

Yangjaechon. This stream is 5.5 km long and runs from Gwacheon City through Gangnam to the Han River. The once-polluted stream underwent a five-year restoration that started in 1995, and is now pristine. It’s a pleasure to walk or cycle from the Han River to Seoul Grand Park, and the cost of the restoration ($10 million) was a bargain!

Baekundongcheon. There are suggestions for the uncovering of Baekundongcheon stream in Seochon, a brook that flows from Inwangsan into Cheonggyecheon. The area was once thought to be one of the five most beautiful spots in the capital.

Igansumun. In 2009, workers demolishing the old Dongdaemun Stadium rediscovered the Igansumun _ a sluice gate that controlled the water flow from Mount Namsan to the Cheonggye Stream. It is being incorporated into the overall design plan for the Dongdaemun Park

Seongbukcheon. Work to uncover 1.5 kilometers stream (flowing from Donam-dong into the Cheonggyecheon) took place during the much larger project. Today one can see work underway to beautify its bridges and to build a fountain.

The Han River Renaissance Project.This mega-scheme is recreating the river as a cultural and recreational facility that will boost the image of Seoul (and thus Korea) as a major tourism and business hub. A large part of the scheme involves ecological restoration, including plantings along the Han River, expanding and remodeling Yeouido brook and the Amsa and Gangseo eco-parks, cleansing the Han’s tributaries, creating natural riverbank slopes and providing pedestrian access to the Han via green corridors. Water transportation is to be improved by adding more water taxis, amphibious buses and pleasure boats with on-board shows.

Efforts are also underway to increase the range of cultural and recreational facilities and include the Nodeul Island Cultural Complex in the middle of the Han River, near Yeouido.

Seoul City also plans new waterfront towns at Magok and Yongsan, and the Korean government will push ahead with the Seoul-Incheon Canal Project. There’s also a strong possibility that Seoul City will establish a ferry service to the West Sea, with a terminal at either Yongsan or Yeouido.